Book of Mormon Geography - Animals and Plants

This section describes scientific evidence for the animals that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

There are some caveats that need to be stated:

Animals are different in different parts of the world
Evidence is presented for animals in the vicinity of Mesoamerica (Mexico narrow neck location)
Cultures do not have names for new animals that they encounter
Cultures will use the name of a known animal to describe an animal they do not have a name for

The information presented here uses the names of the animals as they describe animals in the Middle East. In some cases, evidence of terms used by the first post-Columbian visitors are presented as evidence of naming specific new animals with Old World names. There is insufficient information to conjecture about the names of animals that the Jaredites and Nephites encountered that did not have equivalents around the Middle East. Note: The names of the animals used do not cover the entire spectrum of animals that occur in Mesoamerica - there are more genera of animals in Mesoamerica than the names used in the Book of Mormon. While this opens the hypothesis that some of the names used in the Book of Mormon applied to these genera, the information here is presented on "face value," meaning a match with the animals normally associated with the name.

Concerning the use of the phrase, "for the use of man," it means good to eat and does not refer to a beast of burden. A good explanation for this phrase can be seen in Genesis 2:11 (IV). Note: While not all denominations in the Restoration use the Inspired Version, it is a source of writings that involved Joseph Smith Jr. and it is the only writing he was involved in that explains the phrase, "for the use of man." Any definition other than this is unsubstantiated unless the phrase and explanation can be found in Hebrew writings.

Genesis 2:11 - And out of the ground, made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree naturally, that is pleasant to the sight of man, and man could behold it, and it became also a living soul; for it was spiritual in the day that I created it; for it remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it; yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man; and man saw that it was good for food.

This verse only occurs in the Inspired Version of the Bible and not in the KJV. Joseph Smith, Jr. was given corrections to the Bible through revelation and published as the Inspired Version. As translator of the Book of Mormon, it shows how the phrase was understood by Joseph Smith, Jr.

List of animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon:

* - not a specific animal

This section describes scientific evidence for the plants that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon. There are some caveats that need to be stated:

Plants are different in different parts of the world
Evidence is presented for plants in the vicinity of Mesoamerica (Mexico narrow neck location)
Cultures do not have names for new plants that they encounter
Cultures will use the name of a known plant to describe a plant they do not have a name for ("corn" is one example)
Domesticated plants usually require constant human intervention. When human intervention ends, the plant species usually goes extinct. So lack of evidence today does not mean it did not exist in the past.
The climate has changed since the time of the Book of Mormon, so plants that are sensitive to climate may have changed their distribution from the Book of Mormon times to the current time.

For example, the climate was drier in Mesoamerica during the Book of Mormon times, identified by pollen analysis of the lakes in the Peten (Guatemala) where 40% to 60% of the pollen during the Book of Mormon times corresponded to grasses whereas the current grass pollen percentage today is 15%.
Source: An Analysis Of Compound Specific Carbon Isotopes Of Lipid Biomarkers: A Proxy For Paleoenvironmental Change In The Maya Lowlands Of Peten, Guatemala, .Sarah Davidson Newell (2005)

The information presented here uses the names of the plants as they describe plants in the Middle East. There is insufficient information to conjecture about the names of plants that the Jaredites and Nephites encountered that did not have equivalents around the Middle East. Note: The names of the plants used do not cover the entire spectrum of plants that occur in Mesoamerica - there are more genera of plants in Mesoamerica than the names used in the Book of Mormon. While this opens the hypothesis that some of the names used in the Book of Mormon applied to these genera, the information here is presented on "face value," meaning a match with the plants normally associated with the name.

List of plants mentioned in the Book of Mormon:

* - not a specific plant